UAE is well ahead of the curve on ‘sustainable’ transportation, with startups helping out

UAE is well ahead of the curve on ‘sustainable’ transportation, with startups helping out

With the rising environmental concerns and urban congestion, the need for sustainable transport has never been more pronounced – especially in the GCC, where populations are rising fast. Often these solutions require huge infrastructure spending and government-led planning – think of Dubai’s metro system.

But these big-ticket projects shouldn’t discount the role that entrepreneurs and startups can play in reinventing urban transportation. We all need to travel from place to place and thus the market size is vast.

There is a valuable space available for entrepreneurs to create solutions that are affordable, efficient, and environment-friendly, all without the need for massive infrastructural overhaul.

Filling the gaps

One area that has seen remarkable innovation is ‘last-mile transport’, the final step of a person or product’s journey. This has often been the most complex and inefficient part of the process, and new solutions are addressing this problem with great success.

Companies such as Careem and Lime have shown that with the right infrastructure and policies, micro-mobility services such as e-bikes and e-scooters can be a significant part of the urban transportation mix.

They are not the only players in this space. Launching with a fleet of e-scooters, Fenix is a Dubai-based micro-mobility provider that leverages technology to great